JAMA Special Communication On Professional Association Relationships With Industry

If you work in a professional society you need to read the special communication released by the JAMA with policy recommendations for relationships with industry. The recommendations cover general budget support, conferences and meetings, funds for research fellowships, and training programs, committees that formulate guidelines or outcomes measures, industry support of publications, product endorsements, affiliated foundations, conflict if interest among society elected officers and board members, and guidelines for members.

I am not sure where the AMA stands in these recommendations or where this fits in the deliberations of CEJA. We will have to wait to find out.

Their conclusions – “Enacting these recommendations will require PMAs to transform their mode of operation and perhaps even give up activities of considerable value.The proposals are rigorous: PMAs should work toward a goal of $0 contributions from industry; they should not collaborate in or profit from industry marketing activities; PMA leaders and executive staff should be free of conflict of interest and, in time, so should the entirety of the board and the members of the practice guideline committees.”

This is a very sweeping set of recommendations that require special attention by those of us working in professional medical associations. A must read. My suggestion? Make a list of all of the recommendations. Have the leadership of your society examine each recommendation carefully and, using facts, determine what, if any impact each recommendation will have on your society. Then respond to JAMA accordingly.

CS2Day PI CME and Handheld Projects

Interested in hearing about four different approaches to PI CME? How about the use of handheld technology to support physician patient care. The CS2Day collaborative smoking cessation program includes these types of activities. Listen to Dr. George Mejicano describe these activities and some of the design features put in to measure the effectiveness of these efforts.

Wisconsin CME Ties to Pharma Makes the News

The Chronicle of Higher Education news blog on march 30th includes a story on CME practices at the University of Wisconsin. The headline, like many reporting on industry support for CME, is a bit sensational – “U. of Wisconsin’s Industry-Backed Courses Mislead Doctors and Could Hurt Patients”. A little disappointing for this publication. The article picked up by the Chronicle was published by a Wisconsin newspaper the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. That article contains several inaccuracies but it is worth the read.

Another pharma/CME bashing. If this doesn’t stop soon say bye bye to pharma funding for CME. Some may think that is a good idea. Soon pharma may agree. Your thoughts?

Physican Awareness of Commercial Support Regulations in CME

ABMS Adopts New MOC Standards

The ABMS has adopted a new set of standards designed to enhance physician qualifications assessed through its Maintenance of Certification® (MOC) program. The new standards outline and set timelines for officially adopting several MOC program elements, including:

* Documentation that physicians are meeting continued medical education (CME) and self-assessment requirements
* Evidence of participation in practice-based assessment and quality improvement every two to five years
* Completion of a patient safety self-assessment program at least once during each MOC cycle .
* Assessment of communication skills as a standard for all physician diplomates with direct patient care – using a Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) patient survey (or other COMMOC-approved survey), and an approved peer survey.

The national movement toward performance measurement includes evidence of practice changes to improve quality in the practice process or structure of patient care. These standards suggest many opportunities for CME providers to serve our physician constituents by offering a robust PI CME program.

Let’s Not Forget the “Performance” in PI CME

Should we encourage the physician participating in a PI CME initiative to engage in a dialogue in the practice setting around what is the right thing to do to meet expectations?

Do we have the skill set to do that or do we need to develop that skill set? Not a rhetorical question.

Alliance for CME: Award for Most Outstanding Certified Live CME Activity

The 2009 recipient of the “Award for Most Outstanding Certified Live CME Activity” was given to Research to Practice for their activity, “The Role of the Breast Surgeon in the Interdisciplinary Management of Early Breast Cancer.” Neil Love, MD, President of Research to Practice describes the activity. Several best practices were followed in the design of the activity. If you are interested, listen to my podcast with Dr. Love. I think you might find the approach used for needs assessment as well as the use of that information in the design of the activity informative. It’s a 10 minute listen.

Reflections on Taking the CCMEP Examination

If you are considering taking the CCMEP examination you might find this  interesting. It is a podcast I did with three people who were successful in earning their certification. They share why they took the exam, how they prepared for the examination, some surprises they encountered and a few other reflections. Download it to you favorite MP3 player or your computer and have a listen. Its about 15 minutes long. I hope you find it useful.